'An absolute disgrace': Police executive embroiled in McSkimming sex scandal
Wednesday, 12 November 2025
A “total lack of integrity and leadership” has been exposed within the top ranks of police after the IPCA found top brass, including former police commissioner Andrew Coster, turned a blind eye to claims of sexual misconduct by former deputy Jevon McSkimming.
Their lack of action - and their seeking to prosecute the complainant - was described as appalling and shameful by police boss Richard Chambers, Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Public Service Minister Judith Collins who, appearing rattled in a press conference late yesterday, have promised change.
McSkimming, a former police deputy commissioner who last week pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing child sexual exploitation and bestiality material, was revealed by the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA), after a suppression order lifted on Tuesday evening, to have engaged in an affair with a young woman, who McSkimming later helped get a job in police.
The woman subsequently repeatedly complained to police.
But McSkimming’s colleagues in the police executive, including then-police commissioner Andrew Coster, who was aware of the affair, treated the complaints as harassment and had the woman arrested and prosecuted under the Harmful Digital Communications Act. The charges were later dropped.
Complaints sent to police, and directed by Coster to the “fixated threats assessment centre”, included that McSkimming had tried to destroy a life, used police property to have an affair, and took unsolicited photos of a young female to silence her.
“The content of the emails was often graphic. A recurring theme was that Deputy Commissioner McSkimming is a sexual predator who targets young females,” the IPCA said.
Police have subsequently determined there was insufficient evidence to lay charges against McSkimming over the allegations.
While the IPCA found no collusion within the police executive, Collins said the report revealed “a leadership team that seemed more interested in protecting one of their own”, and suggested the IPCA findings looked like corruption.
Police Commissioner Chambers, who said he had “no friendship” with former members of the police executive embroiled in the scandal, said it was “an absolute disgrace”. The IPCA had revealed “a total lack of leadership and integrity at the highest levels of police”.
He said an apology had been extended to the woman’s lawyer and, asked about the possibility of compensation, said he was sure “there’ll be further conversations”.
Coster’s current job as chief executive of the Social Investment Agency now appears at risk. He has agreed to take leave as the Public Service Commission investigates.
In a statement on Wednesday, Coster said that he would not be responding to media queries while the commission was undertaking the employment investigation.
The Government will also move to create a new watchdog, an Inspector-General of Police, to more powerfully scrutinise police and expose failings.
“It's an extraordinary set of events and extraordinary facts, and it must never happen again,” Collins said.
“There was some sort of group-think going on, but there were, thankfully, at least three people, lower-ranked people, who stood up for what they knew was the right thing.”
The 135-page IPCA report details who knew of McSkimming’s affair and how they failed to act on the complaints made repeatedly by the woman across 2023 and 2024, through different channels including the police 105 tip line.
Coster, former deputy commissioner Tania Kura, another unnamed deputy commissioner, an unnamed assistant commissioner, two staff and three officers were implicated in the failing.
Two officers, including one who complained to the IPCA, and the director of police legal services, were praised for pushing against the direction set by the executive.
McSkimming had an affair with the woman from 2016 to 2018, when she was 21 and he was 40. He had proposed she be employed in a casual role with police, a job she left in early 2018.
Coster was informed by McSkimming, after he became deputy commissioner, that he had previously had an affair and was receiving harassing emails from the woman. Coster did not raise the matter when McSkimming was subsequently interviewed for a statutory deputy commissioner role.
When the IPCA later received a complaint about the matter from within police, in October 2024, Coster “attempted to influence the nature and extent of the investigation and the time frame for its completion”.
Coster was contacted for comment by The Post on Tuesday afternoon. Ahead of the IPCA report’s release a response from an email address in his name said he would “not be responding to media ahead of the release of the IPCA report and any associated processes”.
“New Zealanders will understandably have questions around how McSkimming was able to be considered for roles at the highest level of police given what has come to light,” Collins said.
The Police Minister said the IPCA report revealed “significant flaws” and he was “extremely disappointed”.
“At the centre of the investigation is a woman who has been let down by the previous police executive and the system, I cannot express how frustrated and disappointed I've been since becoming aware of the situation,” Mitchell said.
Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche said the matter was a “wake-up call”.
A review of the commission’s employment processes had already been undertaken by lawyer Miriam Dean, KC, which made a series of recommendations including a more deliberate focus on a fit and proper person test, stronger interview questions, and a post-interview disclosure opportunity for candidates.
The IPCA made 13 recommendations for the police and Government, all accepted by both.
The recommendations include:
more specific recognition of who is responsible for the protection of integrity at senior management level;
a revamp of police internal policies and programmes to promote positive culture around integrity issues and ethical behaviour;
changes to the Integrity and Conduct Unit within police to enable it to play a stronger and more independent role and more effectively to act against poor behaviour when it arises;
legislative and structural changes to enable more robust criminal and employment processes and outcomes in relation to alleged misconduct by police officers;
a strengthening of the IPCA’s oversight role; and
enhanced ministerial and parliamentary oversight.
Correction: This story previously misquoted Public Service Minister Judith Collins as saying the IPCA revealed “a total lack of leadership and integrity at the highest levels of police”. This comment was made by Police Commissioner Richard Chambers. (Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at 10:09am)